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The BBC is pulling its MasterChef Christmas specials aft the allegations against presenter Gregg Wallace.
The determination represents a alteration successful presumption from the corporation, which said connected Monday that each MasterChef episodes filmed would beryllium aired arsenic planned, including the festive edition.
Wallace stepped speech from presenting the amusement past week aft a BBC News probe revealed allegations of inappropriate intersexual comments and inappropriate behaviour against him.
His lawyers person denied helium engages successful behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
Two Christmas specials were planned, some of which were acceptable to aerial connected BBC One aboriginal this month.
In a property merchandise issued connected Friday, the BBC said viewers could "expect fireworks, large Christmas banter and bully food".
The first, a Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off, featured The Wanted vocalist Max George, Emmerdale histrion Amy Walsh, world prima Luca Bish and comedian Shazia Mira.
The second, called MasterChef Meets Strictly Festive Extravaganza, was owed to diagnostic Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden, Gorka Marquez, Kai Widdrington and Nancy Xu, with Motsi Mabuse mounting a challenge.
On Monday, the BBC came nether mounting unit to see pausing MasterChef while Wallace is investigated.
Rupa Huq MP, who is simply a subordinate of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said the continued broadcast of MasterChef could beryllium "triggering" for the women involved.
But the BBC confirmed aboriginal successful the time that each MasterChef episodes filmed would beryllium aired arsenic planned, including the Christmas special.
“MasterChef is life-changing for the chefs that instrumentality portion and the amusement is astir much than 1 individual," a BBC root said connected Monday afternoon.
On Monday night, the latest occurrence of MasterChef: The Professionals was broadcast connected BBC One.
But connected Tuesday, it was revealed that the festive specials volition present nary longer beryllium aired.
It comes aft Wallace apologised for suggesting allegations against him came from "a fistful of middle-class women of a definite age".
The TV big had said connected Sunday determination had been "13 complaints" from "over 4,000 contestants" helium had worked with successful 20 years connected the BBC cookery show.
His comments caused a backlash, with a Downing Street spokesperson describing them arsenic "inappropriate and misogynistic".
In a caller video posted connected his Instagram communicative connected Monday, helium said: "I privation to apologise for immoderate offence that I caused with my station yesterday, and immoderate upset I whitethorn person caused to a batch of people.
"I wasn't successful a bully caput abstraction erstwhile I posted it. I've been nether a immense magnitude of stress, a batch of emotion, I felt precise alone, nether siege, yesterday, erstwhile I posted it."
He concluded: "It's evident to maine I request to instrumentality immoderate clip retired portion this probe is nether way. I anticipation you recognize and I bash anticipation that you volition judge this apology."
A BBC News probe heard from 13 radical spanning a scope of ages, who worked crossed 5 antithetic programmes.
Production institution Banijay UK said it has launched an investigation, with which Wallace was co-operating, portion the BBC has said it volition “always perceive if radical privation to marque america alert of thing directly”.
People who person travel guardant with allegations against Wallace see erstwhile BBC Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, who said helium told stories and jokes of a "sexualised nature" successful beforehand of contestants and unit erstwhile she was connected Celebrity MasterChef.
Other allegations we person heard see Wallace talking openly astir his enactment life, taking his apical disconnected successful beforehand of a pistillate idiosyncratic saying helium wanted to "give her a manner show", and telling a inferior pistillate workfellow helium wasn't wearing immoderate boxer shorts nether his jeans.
BBC News has besides spoken to a erstwhile MasterChef idiosyncratic who says helium showed her topless pictures of himself and asked for massages, and a erstwhile idiosyncratic connected Channel 5's Gregg Wallace's Big Weekends, who says helium was fascinated by the information she dated women and asked for the logistics of however it worked.
Another pistillate idiosyncratic connected MasterChef successful 2019 says Wallace talked astir his enactment life; a pistillate idiosyncratic connected the BBC Good Food Show successful 2010 says Wallace stared astatine her chest; and a antheral idiosyncratic connected MasterChef successful 2005-06 says Wallace regularly said sexually explicit things connected set.
But immoderate workers person spoken of much affirmative experiences with Wallace.
One erstwhile idiosyncratic connected Inside the Factory told the BBC helium made a batch of "dad jokes" but it ne'er went beyond that.
A erstwhile MasterChef idiosyncratic said thing during her clip determination was concerning. Another said she didn't consciousness determination was immoderate malice to his comments, though she understood wherefore immoderate radical whitethorn person felt uncomfortable.
Wallace has besides re-posted comments connected societal media from erstwhile contestants who said they had affirmative memories of moving with him.
He has not responded to requests for an interrogation from BBC News.
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